HIGHLIGHTS: Juncker's state of the union speech to European Parliament

STRASBOURG (Reuters) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker delivered his annual State of the Union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

The following are highlights of his speech.

For full text, please see:

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/soteu2018-speech_en_0.pdf

BREXIT

"We respect the British decision to leave our Union, even though we continue to regret it deeply."

"But we also ask the British government to understand that someone who leaves the Union cannot be in the same privileged

position as a member state. If you leave the union, you are of course no longer part of our single market, and certainly not only in the parts of it you choose."

 

"The European Commission, this Parliament and all other 26 member states will always show loyalty and solidarity with Ireland when it comes to the Irish border. This is why we want to find a creative solution that prevents a hard border in Northern Ireland."

"After 29 March 2019, the United Kingdom will never be an ordinary third country for us. The United Kingdom will always be a very close neighbour and partner, in political, economic and security terms."

"I welcome Prime Minister May's proposal to develop an ambitious new partnership for the future, after Brexit. We agree with the statement made in Chequers that the starting point for

such a partnership should be a free trade area between the United Kingdom and the European Union."

"Michel Barnier stands ready to work day and night to reach a deal... It will not be the Commission that will stand in the way."

RULE OF LAW

"Europe must always be a place where the freedom of the media is possible and is not called into question. Too many of our journalists are intimidated, attacked or even murdered. We cannot have democracy without free press."

"The Commission resist any attack on the rule of law and we continue to be very concerned by the developments in some of our member states."

"Article 7 must be applied whenever the rule of law is threatened."

"Judgements from the Court of Justice must be respected and implemented. The EU is a community of law and respecting the rule of law and abiding by court decisions are not an option but obligation."

"I would like us to say 'no' to unhealthy nationalism and 'yes' to enlightened patriotism. We should never forget that the patriotism of the XXI century is two-fold, both European and national and they are not mutually exclusive."

"Europe and its nations must move forward as one. To love Europe is to love its nations. To love your nation, is to love Europe. Patriotism is a virtue. Unchecked nationalism is both riddled with poison and deceit."

EU BUDGET

"By next year, we should also address the international role of the euro."

"We must do more to allow our single currency to play its full role on the international scene."

"Before the end of the year, the Commission will present initiatives to strengthen the international role of

the euro."

"The euro must become the face and the instrument of a new, more sovereign Europe. For this, we must first put our own house in order by strengthening our Economic and Monetary Union."

"We must complete our Economic and Monetary Union to make Europe and the euro stronger."

"I also think we should be able to decide on certain tax matters by qualified majority."

PAST CONFLICT

"In 1914, it caught the continent off guard. It was a sunny calm optimistic year in 1913...

"I am not suggesting that we are on the verge of a similar catastrophe in Europe. The European Union is a guarantor of peace. Let's be happy that we live on a continent of peace, on a continent that enjoys peace thanks to the European Union.

"Let us show more respect to the European Union. Let us not sully it's image. Let us defend our way of life, our way of being. Let's embrace the kind of patriotism that is not directed against others, and let us decry kneejerk national which attacks others and seeks scape goats rather than looking for solutions that allow us to co-exist better.

TRADE

"When we are united we are a force to be reckoned with, something you cannot avoid."

"Some in Europe are happy with the agreement I reached with President Trump. Some were surprised."

"Whenever Europe speaks as one, we can impose our position on others."

"There is much work to be done before the European elections and before Europe's Leaders meet in Sibiu, Romania on 9 May 2019... By then we must have ratified the EU-Japan partnership agreement - for reasons as much economic as geopolitical."

MIGRATION

"Member states don't yet have the right proportion between responsibility for their own sovereignty and the necessary solidarity amongst themselves."

"This solidarity must be provided by member states if they want to retain the Schengen area without internal borders. I am and remain against internal borders. Where they now exist, they must be removed. If they remain, they should be an unacceptable backwards step in Europe."

"I call on the Austrian Council presidency to now make the decisive step to broker a sustainable solution on a balanced

migration reform."

"We cannot continue to squabble to find ad-hoc solutions each time a new ship arrives. Temporary solidarity is not good enough. We need lasting solidarity - today and forever more."

"The Commission is today proposing to further strengthen the European Border and Coast Guard to better protect our external borders with an additional 10,000 European border guards by 2020."

"And we are proposing to accelerate the return of irregular migrants... I would also like to remind Member States again of the need to open legal pathways to the Union. I renew my call.

We need skilled migrants."

AFRICA

"Africa does not need charity, it needs true and fair partnerships. And Europe needs this partnership just

as much."

"We are proposing a new Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs between Europe and Africa. This Alliance - as we envision it - would help create up to 10 million jobs in Africa in the next 5 years alone."

"By 2020, the EU will have supported 35,000 African

students and researchers with our Erasmus programme. By 2027, this figure should reach 105,000."

"I believe we should develop the numerous European-African trade agreements into a continent-to-continent free trade agreement, as an economic partnership between equals."

SOCIAL DIMENSION

"I would like the European Union to take better care of its social dimension too. Those who ignore the legitimate concerns of workers and small businesses are putting our society at risk."

UNITED EUROPE & GLOBAL ROLE

"United, as a Union, Europe is a force to be reckoned with."

"There can therefore be not a moment's respite in our efforts to build a more united Europe."

"We must find unity when it comes to the Western Balkans - once and for all. Should we not, our immediate neighbourhood will be shaped by others."

"I will always champion multilateralism."

"We will always be a global payer but it is time we started being a global player too."

"We must show that Europe can overcome differences between North and South, East and West, left and right."

"I want to make visible progress in strengthening our foreign policy. We must improve our ability to speak with one voice when it comes to our foreign policy... This is why today the Commission is proposing to move to qualified majority voting in specific areas of our external relations."

"We should move to qualified majority voting not in all but in specific areas: human rights issues and civilian missions included."

"I want us to do more to bring together the East and West of Europe."

(Reporting by Alastair Macdonald, Jan Strupczewski, Philip Blenkinsop, Alissa de Carbonnel, Gabriela Baczynska, Daphne Psaledakis)